‘One does not read the Maigret novels in expectation of wild revelation or plot twists, but to inhabit the vividly realised world of Parisian streets, dives, bistros and high-class hotels. If the books are sketches, they are the sketches of an old master. But the thread that runs though all the books is Maigret’s inquiries into the psychology of his adversaries, and it is this unfailing humanity that makes the Maigret books truly worth reading.’ Graham Macrae Burnet, Guardian
This seasonal collection of Inspector Maigret short stories by Georges Simenon brings together three separate cases involving murder, break-ins and a missing child . . .
It is Christmas in Paris, but beneath the sparkling lights and glittering decorations lie sinister deeds and dark secrets . . . This collection brings together three of Georges Simenon’s most enjoyable festive tales, newly translated, featuring Inspector Maigret and other characters from the Simenon’s beloved crime novels.
In ‘A Maigret Christmas’, it is 25 December and the Inspector receives two unexpected visitors who lead him on the trail of a mysterious intruder dressed in red and white, ‘Seven Small Crosses in a Notebook’ sees alarms sound over Paris send the police on a cat and mouse chase across the city, and ‘The Little Restaurant in Les Ternes (A Christmas Story for Grown-Ups)’ tells of a cynical woman who is moved to an unexpected act of festive charity in a nightclub – one that surprises even her.
